Barbra Streisand Says Hillary Is Fighting Sexism

Huffington Post ran an op-ed on March 28 where actress and singer Barbra Streisand outlines the reasons that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is fighting “outright sexism.”

She begins by pointing to Clinton’s lengthy resume as reason for the double standard:

“Why is it that today even a woman as impressive as Hillary Clinton is judged not by her merits and extensive resume alone, but held to a pernicious double standard?”

Ms. Streisand continues, pointing to a speech she gave 24 years prior introducing the then first-lady Clinton as one of the most heavily criticized first ladies since Eleanor Roosevelt, citing her achievements as monumental for women.

“It seems that nothing much has changed,” Streisand continued, and then listed Clinton’s positive qualities, quoting directly from a 1992 speech entitled “Women in Film.”

A man is commanding, a woman is demanding.

He’s assertive – she’s aggressive.

He strategizes – she manipulates.

A man is forceful – a woman is pushy.

He shows leadership – she’s controlling.

A man is a perfectionist – a woman’s a pain in the ass.

The double-standards are still true today, says Streisand, who points to recent examples following Clinton’s March 15 wins:

“When MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough tweeted she should, “Smile. You just had a big night,” should we have been surprised? Hillary Clinton has a great smile and smiles often. So does Barack Obama. So does Bill Clinton. But no one would tell those two men to smile.”

“This is a good sign because it is time we grew up as a nation. We should stop being afraid of women, and meet them on a level playing field without resorting to name calling and sexist condescension.”